| CalFlowers Alaska Airlines Program Takes Off You may have heard recently that CalFlowers and Alaska Air Cargo teamed up to provide a new shipping program designed especially for flowers. We’ve been pleased to see that there’s quite a bit of member interest. Wholesalers and shippers across the country are always looking for value and service from commercial air carriers when it comes to shipping their flowers. We strive to provide as many competitive options as possible, and that led us straight to Alaska Air Cargo. Alaska’s new exclusive offering now enables member shippers to fly product into and out of San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco, on any nonstop flight, anywhere Alaska flies domestically, including Hawaii (excluding SEA and PDX). The service is PRIORITY, meaning shipments can be booked on specific flights and the rate is an outstanding .50/lb. “all in”, as we say in the shipping business. This means that, other than taxes and a security screening fee, there are no other charges. Alaska Air Cargo’s experience in handling perishables is another bonus for this program. Alaska Air Cargo is the largest fresh fish carrier out of the Pacific Northwest and has processes in place to properly handle and store perishable products such as flowers. To check if Alaska Airlines services a city near you, members can visit alaskacargo.com for complete schedules, destinations and additional booking information. To access these special rates, contact Chris Johnson, Director of Transportation, (760) 533-5580 or chris@cafgs.org. Once Alaska Air Cargo links your account to the CalFlowers program, shipping can start immediately. It’s that simple. So, if you are looking to save money on shipping, and want to take part in this groundbreaking program, just let us know. Additional information is available on our website at www.cafgs.org.
Fun ‘N Sun Grower Tour Stops Announced We are very excited to announce the three grower tour stops for 2019 Fun ‘N Sun Convention: Save the date for Fun ‘N Sun 2019, taking place in Santa Barbara, California from July 24 – 27. With four days largely devoted to California flowers and the floral industry, you’ll experience the largest California floral display and floral exhibit available in one location.
Sponsorship opportunities, registration and a link to our discounted room block will be available soon. Please watch for an email from us with a link to sign up. We look forward to seeing you there! Survey An online survey was sent to all member representatives on Tuesday, January 15 seeking input on public policy issues to assist the new Government & Industry Relations Committee to identify priorities to be advocated at this year’s Congressional Action Days (March 11 & 12, 2019). If you did not receive that invitation and would like to provide your input, use this link to take the survey. The survey will close on Wednesday, January 24th. A summary of the input received will be shared in next month’s newsletter. 2019 World Floral Expo World Floral Expo is coming up soon – from March 20-22, 2019 – and you still have time to register to exhibit. You’ll enjoy preferential exhibit rates in the CalFlowers Pavilion, where CalFlowers members’ products will be on display. The event will take place in the Dallas Market Center, North Hall, from Wednesday, March 20 to Friday, March 22. Show hours each day are 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Whether you exhibit or not, if you attend, please stop by the CalFlowers exhibit to show support for the CalFlowers aspirational goal: More Americans, enjoying more flowers, more often… Be sure to secure your space in the Pavilion before space sells out. If you have any questions please contact: Featured New Member Bold Blossoms is a flower delivery by mail service. They offer one-time gift options, or you can purchase monthly flower deliveries for an entire year! Bold Blossoms also offers flower design services for holidays, weddings, events, and other occasions. Katie’s passion for flowers started on her father’s farm in the Midwest at a young age. The passion was brought to life as Katie opened and operated a brick and mortar floral business outside the Chicago area for a number of years. Since 2009, she has been a member of AIFD and owned and operated KM Floral and Event Designs in Southern California. Kimmie is a proven entrepreneur with a degree in marketing and management. She has a background in e-commerce and social media, as well as a passion for interior design. Bold Blossoms realized an online, subscription platform would be the perfect hybrid of their skills. Why not send happiness in a box nationwide? All of their bouquets are hand-tied, and ready to chop and drop in a vase. Click Here for more information about Bold Blossoms. Transportation As a reminder, new shipping rates and program information for 2019 are up on the CalFlowers website. Members can use their login to access this information anytime. Rates on FedEx, GSO, OnTrac, and airlines can all be found, as well as other handy information. For questions or comments on any of our programs, please contact Chris Johnson at (760) 533-5580 or chris@cafgs.org. With our 2019 rates now in place, we are pleased to report that our Express discount is now better than ever for Priority and Standard Overnight! 2019 FedEx rates are on our website at www.cafgs.org We’d like to remind member shippers that when filing a product claim with FedEx, please keep in mind that claims should be filed within 15 days of delivery date. Waiting longer complicates the process and reduces your chances of a successful outcome. For more information please visit FedEx.com. We’ve been seeing an increase of gifts packaged with flowers in FedEx shipments, so we want to remind member shippers that FedEx requires special documentation for the shipment of alcohol. Shipping alcohol without this documentation is not allowed. If you have any questions about the documentation required, please contact FedEx at (800) GO-FEDEX or visit FedEx.com. Our CalFlowers GSO program is one of our most value-priced offerings. Members wanting to ship on GSO must sign up in advance. It’s easy to do and takes just a few minutes. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Johnson anytime at chris@cafgs.org and (760) 533-5580. OnTrac has a very nice “Time and Transit Map” under Zip Tools on their website. This handy map loaded from YOUR zip code helps you understand OnTrac’s overnight commitment areas. To download your map, please visit https://www.ontrac.com/servicesareas.asp Airlines: Check out our updated airline contact website page, a handy reference offering contact information for our California Air Cargo representatives. Members, please visit www.cafgs.org for a copy of this list. If you haven’t yet heard about the new CalFlowers/Alaska Airlines shipping program, this exclusive offering is available now for CalFlowers members. These new Priority Rates are the best we have seen in years and with the Virgin merger completed, Alaska Airlines has an extensive network servicing major popular destinations across the U.S. However, to get linked to this exceptional program, interested members must sign up. Please contact Chris Johnson at chris@cafgs.org or (760) 533-5580 to get started. For members shipping into Canada, we have a brand new member carrier who has put together some aggressive shipping rates. WestJet is Canada’s second largest airline, and we are pleased to have them as one of our newest airline partners. WestJet has extensive service throughout Canada, and these new rates promise to be an excellent option and value into Canada. Look for more details next week on WestJet. NOTE: Transportation Rate information and documents are viewable/downloadable (as PDFs) on the CalFlowers Members Only site. Please note that these documents are considered sensitive material and are available to the primary contacts for Ag Buddy, Associate Floral, Associate Grower, and Floral members. |
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